Is it ok for a Pastor to get into the pulpit and tell jokes? Just curious.
Joking from the pulpit
Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by christianyouth, May 16, 2007.
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Not jokes, it will cause the congregation to not be very serious about the message. I see nothing wrong with saying something that will cause the congregation to "loosen up", or to feel at home, but to tell jokes, I don't care for.
I have seen it happen and usually its hard for the preacher to change from a joke teller, into a minister of God. -
BB, do think that the Apostle Paul said things that made folks "feel-at-home " and loosened them up ?
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I admit it, I tell jokes, but not a monologue. The jokes have to be on point. I think it was Spurgeon who was confronted about his humor told the person that if they only knew how much he held back, they would be complimenting him.
We know so little about the total sermons or personalities of the NT preachers, that we are arguing from silence. -
What we do know from the sermon fragments of the apostles is that humor was not present . That is instructive .
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Sometimes a little humor can go along way.
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Too many are a bad thing..
But one that goes with the sermon can be used as a great illustration... -
Patrick , what biblical citation can you furnish to substantiate your contention that "sometimes a little humor can go a long way" ?
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I very rarely tell any jokes. Jokes are such fragile things and depend so much on timing, etc. If you are off about anything it ends up falling flat and doing more harm than good.
Now funny stories are another thing. I often tell a funny story or something similiar at the start of my messages to bring people in and get them ready and focused on the task at hand. -
A preacher should not be devoid of his humanity . He doesn't need to be stiff as a board . However , seriousness should be a central quality of his personality when delivery his message .
I have personally witnessed preachers say some compelling things -- with the annointing of the Lord -- and then throw it away in the next breath . They felt uncomfortable , so to ease the solemnity of the moment they broke the conviction and power of the Word of God being manifest with some humorous comment .
There is a natural tendency to "connect" with the congregation . Unfortunately , many times the connection is through laughs . Preachers feel they have the support of the audience with humor . It is hard to resist that pull . But resist it they must . It's better that a connection be made that is a sobering one -- tears from some in the crowd -- anger -- consternation -- would be better than smiles all around . -
From Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 ( NIV )
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting , for death is the destiny of every man ; the living should take this to heart . Sorrow is better than laughter , because a sad face is good for the heart . The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning , but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure . -
SBCPreacher Active MemberSite Supporter
We have fun at church. The worship is genuine, the Word is preached, and God's people have a good time. We laugh every service. Often as I preach, I'll use a funny story. I don't tell jokes for the sake of telling jokes, but we do laugh - often - at church.
Who says you can't have fun at church? -
preachinjesus Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
no reason not to use appropriate jokes.
The easier we connect with people and disarm them from their presupposition about church, the more readily wemove them to a place where they will be willing to listen to the convictional power of the Holy Spirit. -
corndogggy Active MemberSite Supporter
My great grandfather was the pastor for 7 churches... ALL AT ONCE. At every single one of them he would tell racist jokes about black people all the time. The funny part is, he loved black people, and they loved him. He was a popular and regular guest pastor at a black church and they'd get fired up and tell him to keep preaching... sometimes he would preach there for 3 and 4 hours straight. Keep in mind that this was back in the day where even as the owner of a logging company he made 25 cents per day and that was considered good money.
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21st century American culture is far different from 1st century culture.
So what if the apostles didn't use jokes? I'm sure they didn't use power points, sermon handouts, or church bulletins, either.
If the joke is appropriate and advances a point made in the sermon, I see no biblical argument against it. Arguments from silence don't count. -
Humor? Why not? God has a sense of humor...ya'll look at yourselves in the morning.
My caveat: it should not detract from the worship of God.
I'm not sure if you mean literally "tell jokes" or if you're meaning the broader "employ humor." The latter, IMO is an important part of who we are...thus my comment, "Sure...as long as it doesn't detract from ascribing glory to God." The former...is best illustrated by (what else) a joke:
A comedian dies and goes to heaven. When he gets there, he sees other comedians gathered around. One shouts out a number, and they all crack up laughing. "Five!" More laughter. "Seven!" Uproarious laughter.
He asks what's going on. He's told, "We know all the jokes now. So rather than tell them again, we assign a number to them."
The newcomer says, "I wanna give this a shot." He's told, "Go right ahead."
"Eleven!"
Dead silence.
He asks, "What happened???"
He was told, "Son, some folks can tell 'em, and some can't." -
TB , are you saying that the book of Ecclesiastes was uninspired ? Do you think it should be removed from the canon of Scripture ? Are there other books of the Bible that you would like to take a penknife to ?
Does Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 contradict other Bible passages ? Thais topic is really not funny -- it's indeed quite serious .
Gravity in the pulpit . It seems ( once again ) that I am in the minority here . -
I'm thinking of another chapter/verse in the great book of Ecclesiastes that applies here, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
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